Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A Clue for the Puzzle Lady | 1999 | Parnell Hall | Buy |
| 2 | Last Puzzle & Testament | 2000 | Parnell Hall | Buy |
| 3 | Puzzled to Death | 2001 | Parnell Hall | Buy |
| 4 | A Puzzle in a Pear Tree | 2002 | Parnell Hall | Buy |
| 5 | With this Puzzle, I Thee Kill | 2003 | Parnell Hall | Buy |
| 6 | And a Puzzle to Die On | 2004 | Parnell Hall | Buy |
| 7 | Stalking the Puzzle Lady | 2005 | Parnell Hall | Buy |
| 8 | You Have the Right to Remain Puzzled | 2006 | Parnell Hall | Buy |
| 9 | The Sudoku Puzzle Murders | 2008 | Parnell Hall | Buy |
| 10 | Dead Man’s Puzzle | 2009 | Parnell Hall | Buy |
| 11 | The Puzzle Lady vs. The Sudoku Lady | 2009 | Parnell Hall | Buy |
| 12 | The KenKen Killings | 2011 | Parnell Hall | Buy |
| 13 | $10,000 in Small, Unmarked Puzzles | 2012 | Parnell Hall | Buy |
| 14 | Arsenic and Old Puzzles | 2013 | Parnell Hall | Buy |
| 15 | Lethal Luncheon | 2013 | Parnell Hall | Buy |
| 16 | NYPD Puzzle | 2014 | Parnell Hall | Buy |
| 17 | Puzzled Indemnity | 2015 | Parnell Hall | Buy |
| 18 | Presumed Puzzled | 2016 | Parnell Hall | Buy |
| 19 | A Puzzle to be Named Later | 2017 | Parnell Hall | Buy |
| 20 | The Purloined Puzzle | 2018 | Parnell Hall | Buy |
| 21 | Lights! Camera! Puzzles! | 2019 | Parnell Hall | Buy |
The Puzzle Lady series by Parnell Hall ran for 21 books from 1999 to 2019. The series stars Cora Felton, who is famous as “The Puzzle Lady” for her syndicated crossword puzzle column. The twist is that Cora cannot actually construct puzzles herself, relying on her niece Sherry for that part of the job. When murders crop up in her small Connecticut town, Cora’s real talent for investigation comes out.
Each book includes actual puzzles for readers to solve, from crosswords to sudoku to KenKen. The interactive element sets the series apart from typical cozy mysteries, and Hall managed to integrate the puzzles into the plots rather than tacking them on as extras. The series maintained a loyal following for two decades, with titles like The Sudoku Puzzle Murders and $10,000 in Small, Unmarked Puzzles capturing the playful tone.